Ironing machine



C. W. SWANSON.

IRONING MACHINEn APPLICATION FILED IIJLY I9. |916.

Patented 00u 17,1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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C. W. SWANSON.

IRONING MACHINE,

C. W. SWANSON.

RONING MACHINE:

APPLICATION FILED ,|ULY9, 1916. SQQSQL Patented 0G13. 17, lQZ

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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C. W. SWANSON.

IRONING MACHINE:

APPLICATION FILED Juv/19.1916.

Patented Oct. U9 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET LALSQIGSQL I /Q q IEW-#wilg Patented ocr. i7, i922.

FCE.,

IRONING MACHINE.

Application led July 19,

I 'o all whom t may concern.' v

Be it known that I, CARL II'. SwANsoN,

i a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

yThis invention relates to ironing machines.

It is particularly applicable -to machines adapted for general household use.

One vof the objects of the invention is to provide an improved ironing machine.

Another object is to provide an ironing machine of simpleconstruction and operation so that it is particularlyv applicable for household use.

Another object is to provide an etiicient ironing machine.

Another object is to provide an ironing machine which may be operated with a minimum of effort.

Other objects of my invention may best be appreciated from a consideration of a description of the machine in view of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the ironing machine;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof with parts broken away. as the machine is seen from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view with parts broken away;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of fragments of the operating connections for the shoe;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a detail of a fragment of the shoe operating mechanism, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section on l1ne 8-80fFig-3.

10 indicates in general a suitable frame, illustrated as comprising lower side members 11 and 12, connected at top and bottom byvtie-rods 13-13 and 111-14', the upper rods affording support for a table-plate 15, that preferably is wide enough to protrude at the front of the machine, and that preferably has its extremities rolled as at 15 1916. Serial N0. 110,081.

for smooth finish and for hook engagement, if desired, with either of the supporting rods 13-13. Superimposed on the lower frames 11 and 12 are upper frame castings 16 and 1T, suitably bolted to the lower frame members, andv affording support to the feed cylinder and the cooperating shoe or pressing element. A feed table 20, supported on the upper frame members. directs the work Ito the upper arc of the 'feed cylinder 21, that is periplierally padded and clotli-covered, as at 22, in any appropriateV fashion for adequate frictional engagement with; the work. This cylinder is rotatable with the shaft 23, which is driven in any suitable fashion, preferably by a motor 24, mounted in the lower part of the frame and communicating motion to the shaft 23 through a belt and gear reduction-train generally indicated at 26, the elements of which are suitably mounted on the outside of frame members 11-16 and are conveniently housed by a protective shell 2T.

The shoe 30 that co-operates with the feed cylinder may, of course, be of construction appropriate for the desired heating medium, whether electricity, gas, or otherwise, in this instance the shoe being shown as of the gas-heated type. The shoe affords a smooth concavedsurface 31 for co-operation with the peri )heiy of the feed cylinder, and preferably spans somewhat less than half the surface of the cylinder, its receiving edge 32 being preferably sloped away from the cylinder somewhat. As constructed for gas use the shoe is a hollow shell. having its outer wall 33 perforated, as at 34, for air circulation, and having within its interior a gas burner pipe 35 equipped with a suitable tiexible connection 36 for communica-tion with a source of gas supply.

The shoe 30, thus adapted to cover nearly the rearward half of the cylinder, is carried by arms 37, journaled as at 38 to the contiguous frame members 16 and 17, preferably immediately below the shaft 23, so that the gravitational tendency of the shoe is to fall away from the cylinder.

- I provide for control' of the movements of the shoe by operating levers convenient for foot voperation to close,X the machine or bring the shoe and cylinderv into working relation, and for either hand or foot operation to open .the vmachine or move the shoe away `from the cylinder. ating the shoe I 'preferably use toggles to effect the shoe movements. Pivotally connectedto each end of the shoe is a compression link comprising anv L-shaped member 40 to which is secured a lrod 41 that extends -slidingly int'o a yoke 42 and is 'surrounded by a spring 43v interposed between the parts '40, 42, so that the link st-ructure ymay yield axiallv. This link constitutes onemember of a resilient toggle, its yoke 42 being piv-y otally lconnected as at 45 with a link 46 that is keyed. on the shaft 47 (connecting vthe two toggles at opposite ends of the ma- -y treadle 55. Raising of the free end of thelevel 53 moves the bell'crank arm 50 upward, throws the arm 50 and connection 49 rearward and downward, breaking the joint of operating toggle 50, 48, which in turn breaks the joint of yielding toggle 46,

l39 so that `the shoe 30 .may tend to fall away Vfrom the feed cylinder 21 by gravity. elevate the free end of lever 53 Ipivoton the frame 11, atreadle lever 56 that has its rear end 57 arranged to co-operate with the lever 53 tolift vthe latter. When treadle is depressed both toggles are moved toward straight-linex or locked position and the shoe 30 is returned toward closed or pressing position, but when thick goods are 'fed Ito the machine the treadle-depression may s top before the toggles are thrown to straight-line position. The yieldingtoggle 39-46 ordinarily insures the proper pressing pressure between the cylinder and shoe for ordinary thicknesses'or` goods. Therefore when the toggles are locked in straight line or open position the operator ordinarily is/relieved of the necessity of maintaining the pressure by pressing downwardly on treadle 55.

l, The normal or open position of the shoe relative to the cylinder may be controlled and its fall to s uchpositionimay be cushioned. `These results are accomplished by an adjustable retarding device'60, one end 0f which is connected to arm 50 of lever 50 and the other end anchoredto the machine frame. Retarding device 60 includes a turnbuckle 61 and a spring 62. The

And in operlower endof spring62 is attached to a ,a slide' 64) that has play in a slotted guide way 65V which, in turn, is suitably secured as by strap 66 to the tie rod 14y that con- ,nects the frame-members at a point above the levers 53, 56. By this latter provision, it will be' apparent, the lever arm 50 may be elevated to a limited degree (determined by adjustment of the turn-buckleso loosely as to let,pin\63 stand below-the top of slot 63') without'any resistance on the part of the spring 62, the plate 64 sliding in the guide way 65; but after the stud 63 meets the end of slot 63 further elevation of the arm 50 under the weight 'of the shoe is l forced by application of pressure on the Vfoottreadle 56 thereby to stretch the spring 62; and restoration of the shoe to closed or operating posit-ion may be effected Vby exerting downward pressure on the foot treadle 55. v

For hand control of the opening movement of the shoe with respect tothe eylinl der I provide a hand rail 70 at a point above the frame, preferably directly above the cylinder, such rail connecting a pair of levers 71 that are pivoted as at 72 to the contiguous frame members 16 and 17, each such lever 71 having an arm 73 provided with a stud 74 Vthat is arranged to workagainst the joint 45 of the contiguous toggle 39-46. Thus when the hand rail 70 is thrown rearwardly both yielding toggles will be broken at their joints 45. Thef lever 71 at the appropriate end of the machine has its arm 73provided with a suitable extension finger76 cooperating with a lever 77 that is mounted on the frame member 16 and that has an end-projection 78 crossing the joint 49 ofthe operating toggle 48--50, so that, at the same, time that leverl arm 73 acts to break the toggle joint 45, the arm 76 moves the lever f77 to break the second toggle joint 49. This last said action, of course, requires slight raising of the vfoot lever 53,

lio

but throughl the" provision of the lost-mo- A tion anchorage for the spring 62, afforded bythe slide plate 64 with its pin 63 working in its slot; this may be accomplished c (when the p arts are adjusted as shown in Fig. 3) against only gravitational resistance, as the spring 62 does not come into `play until the lever 50 has been moved a l arm T6 is bent to provide a stop T6' coacting with an abutment 16' which may be a flange of the casting 16. so that lever T3 acts as a lock to prevent toggle joint 45 from breaking ol1twa1'd,.a`nd thus insures that when the intent is to close the machine, the yielding toggle may not be overthrown.

l*Ibis facility for separating the shoe from the cylinder by hand manipulation when the operator is standing at any point with respect to the machine is of importance especially' in preventing the burning of the coverings of the padded cylinder. A s a matter of convenience I provide at the side of the machine. opposite the gearing. a hanger .rod S0 slidable in a suitable bracket 8l carried by the frame end l2. iand it will be apparent that an operator standing at the left end of the machine. F ig. l. to hang previously pnessed articles on this rod. may instantly open the machine when an article being pressed completes its passage through the roll and falls on table l5.

In the operation of the machine it will be apparent that the padded cylinder feeds the work beneath the shoe "which is stationary except for its yielding movements against lmit of work insertion.

the spring ll. and that the construction described atfords a very capacious movement of the shoe away from the cylinder to perllvhen the shoe is dropped away from the cylinder its forward edge constitutes an excellent gaging means by which the work. such as a sheet or the like. may be started'over the roller l straight and true. A piece of work. whether thick or thin. properly placed on the roller and coming under the lip 3:2 of the shoe. will inevitably be fed straight through the machine. the yielding links 39 of the yielding toggles compressing sutliciently to accommodate variations in thickness of the work. It will be observed that when the Y machine is in operation the shoe. as positioned by the spring element of the toggle. is held against any possibility. of accidental opening if the toggle 39-6 is straight or locked and'is itself held in locked position by the toggle lS-O. which also may stand straight or locked. the joint of each-said toggle being capable only of movement in one direction because of contact of the two hinge joints l5 and 49 with the levers T3 and TT which in turn are limited against overthrow-movement by the locking of bend T6' against the ilange of frame 16.

In practice I have found the construction to beinexpensive. rugged. efficient. and capable of rapid and easy operation with minimum labor on the part of the user.

While I have herein describedwith considerable particularity one embodiment of my invention for purposes of full disclosure it will be understood thatI many changes in details of structure and arrangements may be made within the scope of the appended claims. I

Having described my invention, what I claim is l. An ironing machine comprising a feed cylinder; a shoe'pivotally connected to the frame for cooperation with the cylinder; a yielding toggle for normally holding the shoe in closed-position; a second toggle controlling the yielding toggle; a foot lever to close both toggles and means including another lever to directly break both toggles to permit the shoe to move away from operative position. A

:2. An ironing machine comprising a. feed cylinder; a shoe pivotally connected to the frame for cooperation with the cylinder; a yielding toggle for normally holding the shoe in closed position; a second toggle. one member of which is connected to the joint of the first toggle and the other member prolonged into a composite crank arm; a lever connected to the crank arm to control both toggles and means including another lever having parts to engage the joints of both toggles to directly break said toggles.

3. An ironing machine comprising two side frame members spaced apartand tied together: a rotatable feed cylinder journaled at its ends in bearings provided by the respective frame members: means carried by one said frame member to rotate said cylinder: a shoe for co-operation with the rotatable cylinderl pivoted atits ends in said respective frame members and below the axis of said cylinder for movement to open position. two yielding toggles. supported. one on each frame member, for movingthe shoe; a hand lever having a part extending substantially parallel with and labove the cylinder and pivoted near each end thereof to open the toggles. and a foot lever arranged to close both toggles whereby the shoe is moved inparallel lines with respect to the cylinder.

l. An ironing machine having a frame.- a rotatable feeding cylinder supported by the frame. a pressing shoe pivotally connected to the frame and for cooperation with the cylinder to pressr articles therebetween, a resilient toggle for holding the shoe in pressing relation to the cylinder, an operating toggle for controlling the- 4resilienttoggle, means for extending the operating toggle to force the shoe toward the cylinder, a manual release for causing the` closing `of the toggles to separate shoe and cylinder, and means for cushioning the shoe in its separation from the cylinder.

An ironing machine having a frame, a rotatable feeding cylinder supported by the frame. a preing shoe pivotally connected to the frame and movable toward and from the cylinder. a resilient toggle for holding the shoe in pressing relation to the cylinder.

spective frame members;`means carried by one said frame .member to rotate said cylinder; a shoe for co-operation with the-rotatable cylinder for engagement' with ythe surface thereof pivoted at its ends in said respective frame members below the axis of the cylinder for gravity movementy to open position; two yielding ltoggles comprising a pair of pivotally connectedlinks for normally holding the shoe in closed position, the opposite ends of each toggle being connected respectively to a frame member and to the shoe. and the links connected to the 'shoe being resiliently extensible, saidlast mentioned links lying substantially vertical when the toggle is open to cushion the opening movement of the shoe at each end; a lever, and

' connections between the lever and joints of the toggles for breaking said joints to permit movement of the shoe to open position.

'7. An ironing machine having a frame, a feeding cylinderjournaled thereto, a pressing shoe pivotally carried by the frame and movable to pressing and non-pressing rela-- tion to the cylinder. a resilient toggle for moving the shoeto pressing position, amanually actuated operating toggle for causing thev resilient toggle to move the shoe to pressing position, a hand operated release for causing the toggles to allow the shoe to move from pressing position, and means controlling such movement of the shoe from pressing position.

8. An ironing machine having a frame, a

feeding cylinder journaled thereto, means for rotating the cylinder` a pressing shoe pivotally carried by the frame and movable to pressing and non-pressing relation to the cylinder. the shoe being movable to nonpressing position by gravity, a resilient toggle for moving the shoeto pressing position and yieldingly holding the same in such position. a manually controlled operating toggle for controlling the resilient toggle, a release for the toggles to cause the same lto release ,the shoe from pressing position, and means for cushioning the movement of the shoe from pressing posit-ion.

9. An ironing machine comprising two lside frame members spaced apart and tied together: a-rotatable feed cylinder journaled at its ends in bearings provided by the recylinder for engagement ytherewith pivoted one of each pair connected to the frame member and to the shoe-the other toggle of each pair connected to the frame member and to the meeting ends of the links comprising the first mentioned toggle; the first mentioned toggles each ha-ving a resilient, yielding `member and means including a lever to close the second mentioned pair of toggles which' in `turn close the first mentioned pairl of toggles` and means including another lever to break both toggles.

10. An ironing machine comprisingtwo side frame members spaced apart and tied together; a rotatable feed cylinder journaled at its ends in bearings provided by the respective members; means carried by onesaid Y frame member to rotate said cylinder; a shoe for co-operation with the rotatable cylinder for engagement with the surfaces thereof, pivoted at its ends in lsaid respective frame member, in a vertical plane immediately -bev low the axis of said cylinder for gravity movement to open position; a pair of toggles pivoted to each frame member and to the shoe at its respective ends; said toggles each having a yielding compressible member; another pair of toggles, each supported on a frame member. each said toggle having one `of its ends pivoted to the frame member and the other .to the members of the first mentioned toggle: a foot-operated lever for forf a feedingcylinder journaled thereto, means for rotating the' cylinder, a pressing shoe pivoted to theframe and movableto pressing andl non-pressing vposition relative to the cylinder, al resilienttoggle for moving the shoe to pressing position and yieldingly holding 'the same in su'ch position, an operv ating toggle acting to move the resilient toggle to.press1ng position, a foot lever for actuating the operatingtoggle to pressing Aposition wherein the sameis self retaining. l

and a hand controlled release extending along substantially the length of the ma-a chine andl cooperating with the operating toggle to close the same and release the'shoe from pressing position.

12. An ironing machine having a frame, a pressing shoe pivoted thereto and movable to pressing and non-'pressing positions, a pair of cooperating toggles for moving the shoe to pressing position, manually controlled, means for actuating one of the. toggles tol cause both toggles to open to move the shoe to pressing position, arelese cting In testimony whereof hereunto set my against one of the toggles and causing the hand in the presenceof two subscribing Wittogglesto close and the shoe to move to nonnesses.

pressing position, and a rotatable cylinder Y CARL W. SWANSON. 5 journaled to the frame and cooperating with vitnessesz v the shoe /in pressing position to pass and GEO. T. MAY, Jr.,

press articles therebetween. MARY. F ALLEN. 

